6/02/2011

Exterior Paint Experimentation

Our house is in need of an exterior paint job which is both annoying because of the sizable cost, but also kind of exciting because it presents the opportunity to change the paint color! Our house is beige, which one of my least favorite colors (right up there with maroon/burgundy.  For the change, I'm thinking of going with a chalky white, with the hopes that the structure will look a little fresher. I need to pull some samples - Ben Moore's American White 2112-70  is one that's on my radar. For the windows I'll probably use a medium-toned warm gray, potentially BM's Englewood Cliffs 1607, and will keep the shutters black.

I like to digitally preview the color before calling the painters (which you can do too through Benjamin Moore's Personal Color Viewer preview tool), and here are the results:

Before...

After...


Before...

After...with a peacock blue door :)

Before...

After... 

Before...

After...

Before...

After...

You might notice that the windows are white in the photos above. Unfortunately, whoever remodeled the house many moons ago opted to use nice wood windows in the front and cheap vinyl windows in the back. I just got a quote from Lowe's on replacing them so that they can be gray like the doors and other windows, however, the estimate for nine Pella windows was about $10k! That was WAY over what I thought it would cost, so I might have to let go of the dream of replacing them.

What do you think of the white paint color? I wish that our roof was darker so that there would be more contrast. Too bad you can't stain a roof....or can you? Anyhow, I was worried about how the white would look with the flagstone by the pool, but I think it's ok. Thoughts?
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24 comments:

  1. Elisa @ What the VitaJune 2, 2011 at 11:37 AM

    I think the white looks great - makes the house look new and fresh!

    And - that's a pretty awesome pool. WOW!

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  2. Modern Country LadyJune 2, 2011 at 11:49 AM

    Hi there, yes you can stain a roof- I have loked at this option myself, but it is not a long term thing.Have you thought of Falun red ?? I am still hoping I have the guts to do that to my house.It
    's a traditional colour in Sweden!!

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  3. Kelly KrughJune 2, 2011 at 11:54 AM

    I love the chalky white and the color of the front door you showed as well!!!

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  4. Claudia FabianaJune 2, 2011 at 12:12 PM

    I love the new paint colors and the blue front door looks great!

    ciao...

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  5. Ms. BrightJune 2, 2011 at 12:38 PM

    I think the preview looks fantastic, but you've got ALOT to work with! Love the gray and pop of peacock!

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  6. ChristinaJune 2, 2011 at 12:43 PM

    Where is your patio table set from? I love the clean lines!

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  7. Vanessa SternJune 2, 2011 at 1:48 PM

    I love the white paint plans and the peacock blue door, looks great! You totally have the style of home that can be painted a dark charcoal gray with all the trims and shutters in white like this house by Commune Design:

    http://www.communedesign.com/design-portfolio/belfast-drive

    Happy Painting!!!

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  8. Kelly @ Bungalow BlueJune 2, 2011 at 2:35 PM

    Looks fabulous! LOVE the peacock blue...makes the front of your home really pop!

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  9. MelissaJune 2, 2011 at 2:58 PM

    The white looks really good, however a word to the wise... I lived in a house that had white brick once and it stained really easy, it always looked dirty where the shrubs grew next to it, and in some areas it would get rusty looking, how weird is that?

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  10. The Pink PagodaJune 2, 2011 at 4:56 PM

    The white looks really nice. I'm in Dallas, too, and having to redo landscaping because we're on the south side of the street and have too much shade. Your landscaping looks great. Everything looks so healthy and well maintained. I like flagstone and white together. Your house already looks wonderful, but it's always fun to have a change!

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  11. Chyanne M. @ The Yuppie LadyJune 2, 2011 at 5:17 PM

    The blue door is fab! And your landscaping is beautiful too.

    I'm giving away a 5x7 outdoor rug on my blog if you're interested.

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  12. Rashon CarrawayJune 2, 2011 at 5:24 PM

    I did not know BM allowed you to preview colrs like thay. I actually like the peacock blue door.


    Which are you feeling best about it?



    Rashon aka Mr. Goodwill Hunting

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  13. Design DreamJune 2, 2011 at 7:52 PM

    Love the fresh white. The contrast really helps, and the teal door is the icing on the cake. Can you tell me what plants you have on your front porch (shrubs and tree?) BTW, I have the same cushion on my front bench!

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  14. AnonymousJune 3, 2011 at 7:50 AM

    I love it!! My favorite is the blue door!! FABULOUS!

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  15. Red Door LivingJune 3, 2011 at 8:23 AM

    Love the chalky white! We were thinking of painting our house that same color range so thanks for letting me see what it would potentially look like! We've been a little too nervous to pull the trigger :)

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  16. BradleyJune 3, 2011 at 11:47 AM

    Oh wow! I love the bright white! It's amazing what a fresh paint job can do.

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  17. AnonymousJune 3, 2011 at 7:35 PM

    Uh, where do I get the serial number to finish the BM download of the color app?

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  18. Bee StreetJune 4, 2011 at 5:45 PM

    Such a fun tool. And I LOVE the virtual color on the door!!

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  19. AnonymousJune 5, 2011 at 9:32 AM

    I agree with Vanessa- I love grey exterior with white shutters- that how we did my ranch and it looks so crisp and never looks dirty. We evn have the same planters as you do in the front. Our door is gloosy black but that blue door is making me think......

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  20. JudyJune 5, 2011 at 8:13 PM

    Call me crazy but I actually like the beige exterior you currently have. But I'm partial to those colors! We had our brick painted several years ago and I used two shades of beige...a darker on the brick and a lighter shade on the trim, shutters and doors are black, looks very classy and I'm really happy with it (I better be b/c hubby will never agree to have it painted again)!

    I know whatever you do will look great.

    Judy

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  21. MerritJune 6, 2011 at 12:33 PM

    it really lightens up the house and makes it look 10x newer. well done!
    xo Merritt

    manolosandmartinis.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Mary LynnJune 6, 2011 at 1:30 PM

    11 years ago my mom bought a house that was gray with a red roof and my mom's designer who knew she had a somewhat limited budget suggested she paint the house an olive taupe and paint the roof shingles a dark brown and it LOOKS GREAT! I wish we had before and after pictures. I think maybe he even just had her paint her exterior light fixtures too!

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  23. Nichole@40daysofJune 10, 2011 at 3:40 PM

    I was in the process of getting bids for wood windows when I first read this post. Since all the bids are in now, I thought I would share, just in case you want some other options. I got a Pella bid from a salesman, a Marvin bid from a sales man, and a Jeld Wen bid from a salesman. No big box stores. :) They were all great and professional, and no pressure. The Jeld Wen bid came in the lowest by a couple of thousand dollars, and their warranty is the longest. I really liked the guy who came out, and his installer also gave me the most comprehensive and detailed bid. We haven't made a final decision, but unless something crazy happens, I think we are going with them. Here is the info. in case you want to have him come out:
    Jim Moutes
    The Energy Shop in Carrollton
    jimeshop@aol.com
    cell - 214-695-4696
    office - 972-661-0688

    Hope you can get your windows! I love the paint color you chose. I need to try that for my house.

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  24. Bella♥StoriaAugust 3, 2011 at 10:46 PM

    Have you painted your house yet? I think the white is definitely an improvement - makes everything look fresh and bright. But I'd love to see something with a richer tone, maybe a warm taupe-grey - would still look amazing with that blue door! Also, I know white brick looks dirty really fast. You'll probably have to pressure wash every year to keep it looking fresh.

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete

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